(Strange Tales I#60/6) - Somewhere in Europe, a small group of
refugees was fleeing from a tyrant's army. As they hid in the
wilderness, they saw that all roads were blocked by military forces.
Their only alternative of escape was to climb a mountain that no man
had ever tried to cross. But as the pursuing troops fired machine guns
at them, the refugees knew the army would catch up to them sooner or
later, and if they surrendered, they would be doomed.

Reaching the mountain, they saw only a sheer wall of
ice. Losing all hope of escape, the group was astounded when seconds
later a staircase had formed in the ice. The refugees had no way to
explain this miraculous event, but instead climbed the stairs to the
top of the mountain.

Upon gaining the summit of the lesser mountain, the
refugees came upon a glacial lake. Knowing they would freeze if they
tried to swim it, they again lost hope. Suddenly, a barge appeared out
of nowhere. Again, with no way to explain this miraculous occurrence,
the refugees climbed aboard and rowed across the lake.

Hours later, as darkness fell, the refugees were in
pitch blackness and had to stop for fear of making a misstep and
falling off the mountain. Suddenly, the icicles of the mountain burned
like huge candles and lit the way, allowing the refugees to continue
their flight from the pursuing army.

But in that time, the army had gained on them.
Minutes later, the group came to an abyss as the army approached. They
feared that they were done for, when a bridge of ice miraculously
formed across the abyss. After the refugees crossed the bridge, the
army followed after them, but suddenly the bridge of ice melted and the
army plunged into the abyss.

The refugees finally met their unseen benefactors,
and the leader of the group told them "We who live here are
sorcerers of a sort...and sympathetic to your cause." One of the
sorcerers went with the refugees and guided them safely down the
mountain.

Hours later, when the group was in free territory,
Leos thanked their guide and asked the mountain's name. The guide
replied, "Mount Olympus!" and vanished in the mountain mists.

Comments: Created by an unknown writer and Jim
Mooney.

I guess it was intended that the "sorcerers" were
supposed to be the actual gods of Olympus -- but then, why not simply
identify themselves as such?

Perhaps these "sorcerers" were actually a group of
Eternals helping out their human "cousins" -- maybe their leader only
described them as "sorcerers of a sort" to put it into more
understandable terms for the refugees (who probably didn't have any
knowledge of Eternals). In the same way, when the guide told them the
name of the mountain was "Mount Olympus," he was also putting the real
name, "Olympia," into more understandable terms.

The various miracles that occurred -- stairs forming
in the ice, a barge appearing out of nowhere, etc. -- could be
attributed to the matter-manipulating powers that Eternals possess.

And a big THANK YOU to Dennis Giansante for scanning
this story for me!